Total Organic Carbon (TOC): An Overview

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) PDF is a very vital component in the monitoring solutions industry. Read this detailed article to know everything about TOC.

1. TotalOrganicCarbon(TOC):AnOverview
TableOfContents
●Introduction
●WhatisTotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)Analysis?
●WorkingPrincipleofaTOCAnalyzer
●ReasonstoMeasureTotalOrganicCarbon
●ProcessesthatRequireTotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)Monitoring
●WhataretheApplicationsofTOCAnalysis?
●SelectingtheBestTOCAnalysisTechniquetoUse
●CatalyticCombustionOxidationTOCAnalyser
●Conclusion
●KeyTakeaways
●FAQS
Introduction
TOC(TotalOrganicCarbon)isthequantityofcarbonpresentinanorganic
compound.
Ithasevolvedintoakeyindicatorofapproximateamountsoforganic
contaminationandmaythusbeusedtopredictwaterquality.
Inmanycircumstances,aTotalOrganicCarbonanalyzerisutilizedtocheck
theAnalyzer'slackofchangeinorganiccontentcontinually.
WhatisTotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)
Analysis?

2. TotalOrganicCarbonAnalysisisatechniquefordeterminingthequalityof
water.Waterpurityiscrucialinmanyindustries,includingpharmaceutical,
industrial,powergenerating,andwatersupply.
Bacteriaorotherinorganicsubstancesintheenvironmentcansuggest
filtration,storage,orsystemfailure.
Contaminationcanalsocauseissuessuchasdamagetoindustrialsystemsor
adecreaseinproductquality,threateningprofitabilityandconsumerhealth.
Furthermore,knowingthepurityofwaterprotectsusers,suppliers,andthe
environmentbyallowingwatertobeutilized,provided,anddisposedofinthe
safest,mostcost-effective,andecologicallyfriendlymannerpossible.
ThefollowingcanbemeasuredbyTOCanalysis:
●TC-Totalcarbon,
●IC-Inorganiccarbon,
●TOC-Totalorganiccarbon,

3. ●POC-Purgeableorganiccarbonand
●NPOC-Nonpurgeableorganiccarbon.
TOChasevolvedintoakeymetricformonitoringthetotalquantitiesof
organicchemicalspresent.
Thisisdespitethelackofadirectquantitativeassociationbetweentotal
organiccarbonandtheoverallconcentrationoforganiccompoundspresent,
anditdemonstratestheneedforhavinganeasy-to-measure,broadindicator
oftheapproximatedegreeoforganiccontamination.
Italsoillustratestheallureofaparameterwithanamethatsoundsmore
essentialthanitis!
TheTOCisfrequentlyemployedasanongoingmonitorofchangeorlackof
changeinorganiccontent.
WorkingPrincipleofTOCAnalyzer
ATOCAnalyzercanbeusedtodeterminetotalorganiccarbon.
Thisoperatesbyoxidizingtheorganiccomponentintoaquantifiablestate.

4. Whenorganiccarbonisoxidized,carbondioxideisproduced,whichmaythen
bemeasuredandturnedintoaTOCmeasurement.
TOCanalysisentailscalculatingthismeasurementandsubtractingthe
'inorganiccarbon,'whichistheconcentrationofdissolvedcarbondioxideand
carbonicsalts.
ComponentsofTOCAnalysis
TOCanalysisconsistsofthreesteps:sampling,oxidation,anddetection.
Tomeetregulatoryrequirements,itisadvisedthatthesamplesystemhave
automaticsampling,acidification,andspargingforTOCanalysis,automatic
dilutioncapabilities,andauto-calibrationusingasinglestockstandard.
TheorganiccarbonsmustbeoxidizedtoestimatethedegreeofTOC.There
arenumerousoxidationtechnologiesavailableonthemarkettoday.
AmongthemethodsforconvertingTCtoCO2are:
●ThermalOxidation
Thesamplewillbecombustedinareactorusingthisoxidationprocess.
Amaximumtemperatureofaround1,000°Cisusuallyobtained,whichdoes
notallowforthecompleteoxidationofallcarboncomponents.
Atthesetemperatures,acatalyst,suchascopperoxideorplatinum,mustbe
utilized.
ThecatalyticcombustionprocesscannormallyhandleTOCconcentrationsof
upto4,000mg/l.Toachievehigherranges,thesampleisfrequentlydiluted
withdeminwater.
●PhotochemicalOxidation(Uv-PersulfateMethod)
TheoxidationofTOCisdoneusingUVlightandadigestingreagent,sodium
persulphate,andanNDIRdetectorareusedtodetecttheCO2generated.
Becauseparticlesaredifficulttooxidizeentirely,thisapproachisbestsuited
fordeterminingTOCincleanwater(drinkingwater,condensate,boilerfeed
water).

5. ●WetChemicalOxidation
Thewatersampleisoxidizedusingstrongchemicalsasoxidantslikeozone,
whichareslightlyhazardoustohealthandtheenvironment.
Theacidsandbasesproducedbyozoneoxidationareutilizedtochangethe
pHofthesamplealongthepHscale.
Theoxidationpotentialofsuchapproaches,however,isrelative,because
particlesandmorecomplicatedcarbonmoleculescanonlybepartially
digestedornotatall.
Thesepracticesarenotrecommendedbycurrentoccupationalsafetyand
environmentalprotectionrequirements.
Accordingtostudies,combiningPersulfatewithheatandUVlightresultedina
moreaccurateandfasteranalysis.
ReasonstoMeasureTotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)
High-qualitywaterisacriticalelementusedthroughoutthepharmaceutical
manufacturingprocess.
Assuringthepurityofthewateraidsintheeliminationoftheimpactthat
bacteriaandotherorganicsubstancesmayhaveonproductquality.
Whenorganicsubstancesreactwithotherelements,theyformmoleculesthat
canbedetrimentaltoproductsandtheenvironmentoncethewaterisdrained.
TOCanalysis,inadditiontowaterpuritystandards,cangivevalidationofthe
cleaningprocessesusedbycorporationstomaintaindrugmanufacturing
equipment.
Whileorganicmatterisnotalwaysharmful,excessiveamountsinwatercan
haveasubstantialinfluenceonecosystemsandcauseequipmentdamageif
leftunregulatedanduntreated.

6. 1)AvoidEnvironmentalConsequences:
Organicsinriversorstreamscanbehazardoustotheecosystemevenifthe
moleculesthemselvesarenotimmediatelytoxic.
Organicwaste,byreducingoxygenlevelsinthewater,cancausefish
suffocationandhaveawiderangeofnegativeeffectsonwaterecosystems.
2)EnsureComplianceWithRegulations:
Organiccompoundsareprecursorstodisinfectionby-products(DBP),which
arerigorouslycontrolledinthedrinkingwatersector.
MeasuringTOCallowsyoutoexecutethebesttreatmenttoreduceDBP
generationandmeetregulatorystandards.
IndustriesandgovernmentsthatfailtomonitorTOCcorrectlymayfailto
complywithlawsandregulations,payingcostsorfines.
Therearefurtherfinancialramificationsforbreachingdischargepermit
restrictions.
3)BusinessEfficiency&Integrity:

7. Organiccompoundsinproductsnegativelyimpactflavor,odor,appearance,
andcustomerimpressionsofquality.
Excessiveorganiccontentinsourcewatercanaffectproductioncosts,create
contamination,resultinwastewatertreatmentcharges,provideobstaclesto
followinglaws,andhavesevereenvironmentalrepercussionsthatcanhurta
company'sreputation.
ProcessesthatRequireTotalOrganic
Carbon(TOC)Monitoring
1)WastewaterTreatment
BydeterminingthetotalTOCloadbeforeitentersthetreatmentfacility,the
plantmaypreparefortreatmentandoptimizeoperation.
MeasuringtheTOCdischargeattheendoftreatmentaidsinensuringthatthe
facilitycomplieswiththerules.
2)DrinkingWaterTreatment
Naturalorganicmatter(NOM)fromdecomposingplantoranimalcomponents
canbefoundinrawwatersourcessuchaslakes,streams,andreservoirs.
Organicscaninteractwithchlorineandotherdisinfectantsduringdisinfection
togeneratehazardousDBP(DBPreduction).
Tocomplywithstandards,DBP-compliantdrinkingwaterplantsmustmeasure
TOCinrawandprocessedwatertocalculateTOCpercentremoval.
Theamountofdissolvedorganiccarbonindrinkingwatercanalsoalterits
odor,taste,andappearance.
3)DairyIndustry
ATOCAnalysercanrevealpossibleproductlosstowastewaterateachstage
ofdairyprocessing(whenmilkisturnedintoproductssuchascheeseor
butter),assistinginprocesscontrol.
Thefacilitycanensurethatitcomplieswithitsregulatorydischargelimitby
measuringTOCattheendoftheprocedure.

8. Monitoringthemilkfatsthatleavetheplantintheeffluentcanhelptoreduce
productlossandwastewatertreatmentexpenses,resultinginmorerevenue.
4)IndustrialBoilers
Thecondensatefromtheheatexchangersinboilersmustbemonitoredfor
TOC.
Topreventdamage,iftheTOClevelsinthecondensatearetoohigh,the
condensatemustberoutedawayfromtheboiler.
ContinuousTOCmonitoringenablesoperatorstomaketimelyadjustments,
avoidingequipmentdamage,productiondowntime,andrevenuelosses.
5)CoolingTowers
MeasuringtheTOCofthesourceandmake-upwaterbeforeitenterstheheat
exchangersensuresthatnoorganicsthatcoulddamagetheequipmentare
present.
CheckingtheTOCofthewateraftercoolingguaranteesthattheheat
exchangerhasnotleakedcontaminantsintothewaterthatisbeingdelivered
tothereceivingwaterbody.
6)StormWaterTreatment
ThetreatmentofstormwaterisguidedbyTOClevels.
IftheTOClevelsarenormal,thewaterisdirectlydumpedintoacanal.Ifthe
TOClevelsaretoohigh,thestormwaterisredirectedintoaretentionpond
beforebeingtreatedatawastewatertreatmentplant.
MonitoringTOCassistsindustrialfacilitiesinadheringtostormwaterrules.
WhataretheApplicationsofTOCAnalysis?
A)TOCAnalyserintheWaterSupplyIndustry
Sincetheearly1970s,TotalOrganicCarbonAnalysishasbeenusedto
monitorwaterqualityinthewatersupplybusiness.

9. Organiccarboncanbefoundinsourcewatersasaresultofdecayingnatural
organicmaterialslikehumanacidoramines,aswellasmanmadesources
likefertilizersanddetergents.
TOCanalysiscanestimatethepresenceofthesecontaminantsinthewater
supply,allowingthemtobetreatedfordisinfectioninwatertreatmentplants.
Thereactionofthesourcewaterwithchloride-containingdisinfectantsresults
inchlorinatedisinfectionby-products.
Furthermore,thepresenceoforganiccarbonisanessentialcharacteristicin
determiningthequalityoforganicshaleresources,whichisoneofthemost
importantunconventionalfuels.
B)TOCAnalyserinthePharmaceuticalindustry
TOCanalysisisregardedasacriticaltechniqueformeasuringwaterpurityby
manypharmaceuticalcompanies.
High-puritywaterisacriticalcomponentinthepharmaceuticalmanufacturing
process.
Itmustthereforebeensuredthatanybacteriaoralternativeorganic
compoundsareeliminatedsothatproductqualityisnotharmedandtheyare
safeforconsumption.
Furthermore,TotalCarbonAnalysiscanvalidatethecleanlinessof
pharmaceuticalmanufacturingequipment,whichiscriticalinavoidingproduct
contamination.
Totalorganiccarbonanalysisisnowrequiredatallstagesofthe
pharmaceuticalindustry,accordingtoorganizationssuchastheUnitedStates
Pharmacopoeia.
SelectingtheBestTOCAnalysisTechniquetouse
TotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)analysisiswidelyusedtodetermineorganicsin
waterasanindicatorofwatercleanliness.

10. TOCanalysisisusedinawiderangeofapplications,includingultrapurewater
intheelectronicsandpharmaceuticalindustries,aswellasdrinkingwater
safetyandmunicipalandindustrialwastewaterdischarge.
TOCdeterminationmethodsincludeHeatedPersulfate,UV/Persulfate,and
High-TemperatureCombustionOxidation.
Thedetectionofcarbondioxideproducedduringtheoxidationstepisanother
criticalstepinthemeasurement.
Withsomanymethodsfordeterminingtotalorganiccarbonavailable,itcan
bedifficulttoknowwhichoneisbestforyourapplication(s).
TheTOCAnalyzeremploystwomainanalyticalmethods:high-temperature
catalyticcombustionoxidationandUV-persulfateoxidation.
CarboninthesampleisconvertedintoCO2inbothmethods,whichisthen
measuredwithaCO2-specificNon-DispersiveInfrared(NDIR)detector.
Inthissection,wewillexaminethedifferencesbetweenthetwomethodsas
wellasthetypesofapplicationstowhichtheyarebestsuited.
CatalyticCombustionOxidationTOCAnalyser
CarbonisconvertedintoCO2incatalyticcombustionsystemsbyinjectingthe
samplewithanoxygen-richcarriergasintoacatalyst-packedtubethatis
typicallyheatedto680°C-1000°C.Afterthat,theCO2issweptintotheNDIR
detectorformeasurement.
Thecatalystspeedsuptheoxidationprocessandallowsittooccuratlower
temperaturesthannon-catalyticcombustion.
Withadetectionlimitof50partsperbillion(ppb),thissystemiscapableof
measuringmuchhigherconcentrationsupto20,000partspermillion(ppm).
Thismethodisespeciallyusefulforsamplescontainingparticulates,
difficult-to-oxidizematrices,orsalt.Typicalapplicationsincludewastewater
andsurfacewatertreatment,aswellasdrinkingwatertreatment.
UV-PersulfateoxidationTOCAnalyser

11. TheoxidationofUV-persulfateisawetchemicalprocess.Beforegoingtothe
NDIRdetector,aspargedsampleispassedtoaUVreactorandoxidizedin
solutionbysodiumpersulphateincombinationwithUVradiation.
TheUV-Persulfateapproachhasdetectionlimitsaslowas5(ppb)andisthus
wellsuitedforlow-levelTOCanalysis.
Itistypicallyusedtomeasurelowamountsofcontaminationinthe
pharmaceutical,biotechnology,andelectronicsectors,aswellastomonitor
drinkingwater.
Itisnotsuitedforseawaterorothersampleswithahighchloridecontent
becausethechloridereactswiththepersulphate,loweringoxidation
effectivenessdramatically.
Itisalsounsuitableforsamplescontainingahighconcentrationofparticles.
InConclusion
TotalOrganicCarbon(TOC)isconsideredtobeanessentialparameterwhen
itcomestotheanalysisofenvironmentalandwaterquality,whichtendsto
giveoutalotofvaluableinsightsintotheorganiccontentofnumerous
aqueoussystems.
Itconformstoacomprehensivemeasureoftheconcentrationoforganic
carboncompounds,whichcangenuinelyhavesignificantimplicationsfor
environmentalmonitoring,watertreatment,andtheoverallsoundnessofour
ecosystems.
HavingaclearandpreciseknowledgeofTOClevelsiscrucialforevaluating
waterquality,determiningpollutionsources,andconfirmingthesafetyof
drinkingwater.
Intoday'stime,aswepersistinconfrontingincreasingenvironmental
challengesandproblemsassociatedwithwaterquality,theproficiencyand
monitoringofTOCwillhangaroundtobeindispensableinourendeavorsto
safeguardandsustainablyhandleourpreciouswaterresources.
KeyTakeaways

12. ●Totalorganiccarbon(TOC)isdefinedasameasurementofthetotal
carboncontentinorganiccompoundswithinanelementorsample.
●Itiswidelyutilizedtoexaminethequalityofwaterandsoil,ashigher
TOCcandemonstratecontaminationorpollution.
●Totalorganiccarbonanalysisisconsideredtobeessentialindifferent
industries,whichincludefood&beverage,pharmaceuticals,and
environmentalmonitoring.
●Variousmethods,suchasUVoxidation,combustion,andpersulfate
digestion,areutilizedtospecifyTOClevels.
●TOCmeasurementsareessentialforcompliancewithregulatory
standardsandforstrengtheningproductqualityinnumerous
applications.
●TOCcanbeutilizedtoassesstheefficiencyofwastewatertreatment
proceduresandtomonitorwaterqualityinnaturalecosystems.
Getmoreinformation,TotalOrganicCarbon(TOC):AnOverview